Page 43 of I Married Amreth

“Thank you,” Ciara said with a grateful smile before turning back to Vala. “Naturally, I would need to examine the patients. But I also would like to know if there’s anything specific or unusual that happened to all of them over the past week or so.”

She frowned as she pondered on the matter. “There isn’t really anything we can think of. At first, we thought it might be due to their pilgrimage to Svast Temple. We all go there once a year for prayers and purification. The rituals last for a week before they head back.”

“It sounds like they all ate something over there that made them ill,” I said pensively.

Vala shook her head. “We initially assumed that something at the temple made them sick. It would have been a tragedy considering it is the holiest of places. Why would the gods punish us when we went to honor them? On average, seven or eight different tribes participate together. This time, there were nine tribes. As soon as the first person fell sick, we contacted the other villages whose members were present, but only one had people falling ill.”

“Only one?” Ciara echoed pensively. “How long is the trip from here to the temple?”

“It is a two-day journey on foot through the forest in each direction,” Vala replied, in a factual manner. “We could complete it faster, but the pilgrims stop along the way to cast blessing prayers over the land, to eat, and rest. They will camp for the night at the midway point.”

“How long ago did they return from the temple?” Ciara asked, her voice intense.

Excitement would not have been an appropriate term to describe her emotions, but she clearly seemed to feel like she was onto something.

“They returned eight days ago, but only started showing symptoms five days later,” Vala replied.

“This is critical information,” Ciara said, while absent-mindedly glancing at Enre who was setting up the tables a short distance away with the help of other villagers. “It gives us a much narrower window as to when the infection occurred. The other village with infected people, how close is it located from here?”

“Not close at all,” Vala said with discouragement. “That is another reason why we eliminated the possibility that the journey to the temple might be the cause. There is a wide river between Baki Village and us that they must cross using a boat. And once on the other side, they have a long way to travel on foot. They left on completely different routes.”

“But they hunted for food along the way, right?” Ciara argued.

Vala nodded. “We hunt and forage along the way.”

Sudden understanding struck me.

“So something they gathered in the forest or hunted along their respective paths was infected,” I said pensively. “Any chance the animals could still be infected, or would they all be dead by now?”

“It really depends on whether the prion hurting the Kreelars is normal for the animal, fruit, or vegetable they consumed. If it is normal for them, then they will still be thriving in that area. But if it’s not, then we would need to find one that is still alive.”

“It would take us a bit more than half a day—approximately twelve hours—to run to the temple on foot, and maybe seven to eight riding a Sagul,” Vala replied.

“Which means it would take me barely two to three hours each way,” I said.

“It should take me about six hours to test everyone as well as the food. So that would work perfectly,” Ciara said with an enthusiastic spark in her beautiful eyes.

But even as I spoke those words, a wave of unease swept through me. I didn’t really want to leave my mate here by herself. Granted, Enre would protect her, and I didn’t doubt the same from Vala. The aura of the people around us had gradually lost some of its wary edge, more and more having streaks of blue indicating they were relaxing around us. But it still unnerved me. At the same time, I could do this much faster than they could.

Oblivious to my inner turmoil, Ciara began typing a few instructions on her bracer, seconds before my own beeped from an incoming message.

“I’ve sent data regarding the prions we’re looking for,” Ciara said. “I would need you to do an aerial scan of the flora and fauna between here and there. There’s a good chance that your bracer will not be able to detect the prions without actually testing a sample. But it will be able to pick up on any anomalies between plants and animals of the same species.”

“So it will flag any animal or group of plants that are abnormal compared to others of the same type,” I said to confirm I properly got her meaning while uploading the new data to my scanner.

“Exactly,” Ciara said, beaming at me with that same glimmer of pride in her eyes that did the sweetest thing to me.

I had never thought of myself as dumb, but simply as someone of standard intelligence. And yet, over the past day, my mate had increasingly made me feel almost like a genius. I was discovering a new passion in trying to solve these little mysteries.

I smiled before casting a wary glance around the crowd. To my surprise, Ciara immediately sensed my discomfort.

“I will be fine in your absence,” she said in a reassuring tone. “Enre and Kald Vala will make sure I’m safe.”

“No harm will come to your mate,” Vala confirmed with a firmness that did wonders to alleviate some of my concerns. “There can be no greater dishonor than for a host to allow their guests to be mistreated in their home. On my honor, and with my life, I pledge to keep your mate safe for so long as she is within our walls and until she is returned to Bryst.”

“Thank you, Vala,” I said with sincere gratitude.

I turned to Ciara and gently caressed her cheek. To my delight, she pressed her palm to the back of my hand and leaned into my touch. Unable to resist, I leaned forward and kissed her. She returned it with a tenderness that messed with my head. Fighting the urge to draw her into my embrace and deepen the kiss, I straightened and reluctantly let my hand drop.

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